Super Sloppy Joes {Vegan}

I remember when I was a kid, one of my all time favorite meals was a sloppy joe sandwich. I was walking through the grocery store today and when I saw the canned version, realized how much I missed it. So it was time to vegan-ize it with my rendition of these Super Sloppy Joes 🙂

My version uses all of the traditional ingredients in the sauce with some wiggle room for the meat replacer. Today, I am using minced jackfruit, but you could also use TVP, lentils, a vegan crumble. Whatever your preference is, it will work in this dish.

I drained, rinsed and minced the jackfruit using a food processor. I’ll add a bit of steak seasoning (I like Montreal Steak the best) along with pepper and just a pinch of salt. Most likely, if you are using jackfruit, it has come packed in a salty brine. As I mentioned, I do rinse it, but season to taste erring on the side of caution. If you can find the jackfruit packed in water, I would always go that route whenever possible.

The first step in the cooking process is to saute the onions and peppers in a small amount of oil. If you have an awesome non-stick pan, feel free to water-saute.

Once the jackfruit has browned and the veggies are tender, combine the two mixtures. Add the vinegar and worcestershire, simmering for about 5-10 minutes more just to meld the flavors. Cook until the vinegar has evaporated and most of the liquids have absorbed.

Finally, add the tomato sauce and tomato paste. I like to simmer for another 5-10 minutes at this point.

I honestly can’t recall what we’d serve alongside of our sandwiches, but it likely included a dill pickle or chips. My current favorite? Tater tots (which are “accidentally” vegan, by the way). Dipped in a bit of my vegan ranch dressing, it provides a nice contrast to the tangy Super Sloppy Joes.

We used to use regular old hamburger buns for our sloppy joes, but today, I’m using these vegan-friendly soft sesame seed rolls that I have lightly toasted.

Did you make this recipe for Super Sloppy Joes? Let me know what you thought in the comments section below.

Ingredients

15-20oz.Can of Jackfruitdrained, rinsed and pulsed in a food processor

1/4cDark Brown Sugar

2-3tspMontreal Steak Seasoning

1/2cOniondiced

1/2cRed Bell Pepperdiced

1/2cGreen Bell Pepperdiced

1-1/2tspRed Wine Vinegar

1tbspWorcestershire (vegan friendly)

15oz.Can of Tomato Sauce

1-2tbspTomato Paste

4Sesame Rollslightly toasted

Instructions

To prepare the jackfruit, simply drain, rinse and place into a food processor. Pulse just a few times to get a shredded consistency. Do not over process. We want some of that texture.

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add the jackfruit and steak seasoning to the dry pan and saute until the moisture has almost evaporated and the edges start to get golden.

In another skillet, add the oil, onions and peppers sauteeing until tender. Add the red wine vinegar, brown sugar and vegan worcestershire. Cook for 5-10 minutes until most of the liquids have evaporated.

Reduce the heat to medium and add tomato sauce and tomato paste to pan. Simmer for another 5-10 minutes or until thickened slightly.

Toast buns lightly and add a scoop of the mixture.

Serve with your favorite sides such as tater tots, french fries or pickles.